Happenstance
by Lady Fyria
Summary: It begins and ends with her wearing his sweatshirt. Mini series of Arkos fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**Sweatshirt**

**Chapter One**

Having grown up in a part of Mistral where it was warm year round, the extraordinary Pyrrha Nikos was impervious to all but one thing: cold. When the winter season blew its first chill through, his partner was, for once, unprepared for the onslaught of shivers and goosebumps. Thus, Jaune was not surprised to find her doing her homework on her bed instead of the library, wrapped in her blanket.

What he was surprised by, however, was the flash of orange fabric by her neck. Pyrrha had sworn off the color orange ever since Coco sassily informed the redhead that orange was a horrible color on her. Pyrrha didn't own anything with orange...so then what was she wearing?

Unaware of his presence, Pyrrha pulled the orange fabric to her face and inhaled deeply. The blonde's brows raised in surprise and quickly furrowed in confusion. That was his sweatshirt she was wearing, his sweatshirt that she was sniffing. He knew she was fond of the smell of campfires, but he hadn't been around a one since he accidentally lit a tree on fire three weeks ago.

"Pyrrha? Why are you wearing my sweatshirt?"

Her emerald eyes widened, her cheeks gaining a rosy hue as her head snapped up to stare at him with embarrassment, growing flustered as she struggled to take it off hurriedly. "I'm sorry Jaune, I assumed you wouldn't mind if I borrowed it. I don't have any clothing suitable for this sort of weather and I-"

"Whoa, whoa," he held up his hands to gesture for her to stop. "It's fine, I don't mind at all Pyrrha. Whenever you want it, you don't even have to ask, okay? We should get going though, Ren and Nora are waiting for us," His stomach growled. "And apparently so is my stomach."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded, unfurling the blanket and standing up. Jaune's heart skipped. His sweatshirt was big on her, and without any pants to cover the rest of her legs, the sweatshirt hid the shorts he hoped she was wearing. A strange sense of satisfaction and possessiveness washed over him then, and he offered her his arm like he'd seen gentlemen do. His partner gave him a curious look but accepted it nonetheless. For the five minute walk from their dorm to the cafeteria, Jaune prided himself on not being the oblivious one; it was Pyrrha. She was ignorant to people's glances between his sweatshirt, their intertwined arms, their smiling faces, and the way she stood closer to him than normal in order to steal his body heat. He knew Pyrrha would never like him the way he liked her, but for this once, he was okay with letting people think she was his.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Pyrrha's Perspective**

The moment her last class ended, she all but sprinted for her dorm. She had lost feeling in her fingers and toes hours ago, and she was sure her lips were blue. She did not think of the welfare of the students she knocked down and left dazed in her wake, only of her warm bLchapter Twoed and how to get there the fastest.

Oh, it was most definitely warm. Had she been born a cat Faunus, she'd would be purring in contentment as blood rushed back into her extremities. Though as she set out to do her homework, she came across a problem. Her hands and arms would have to be exposed in order to write. She draped and re-draped the blanket around her but could not find a good way to cover all of her skin. She shivered, blowing hot air into her hands, and then she spotted the solution to her dilemma: a brown and orange sweatshirt laid_j_ across a chair. Jaune still had one class to go before he came back to the dorm, if at all. It looked comfortable and warm...surely Jaune wouldn't mind if she borrowed it for a little while.

And that was how Pyrrha found herself tugging his sweatshirt over her head. She was startled by the scent attached to it. Sweat, soap, and something that was so distinctly _Jaune_. She settled back into her blanket, and occasionally sniffing the sweatshirt rapidly became a guilty pleasure. He smelled good, and he wouldn't ever know, so she indulged.

When she heard her name being called an hour later, right before dinner, she panicked and mumbled out an excuse. Heat flooded her cheeks, grudgingly taking off the sweatshirt she'd grown attached to. But he stopped her, and she was secretly glad. He looked away from her nervously as she approached, but then offered her his arm. The gesture, while not unfamiliar, was strange coming from him. He only ever walked by her side without touching. Even so, Pyrrha happily accepted and walked close to him in a subtle attempt to absorb some of the heat he was radiating. She wondered if he had learned it in his attempts to woo Weiss and fought the sad thoughts that threatened to ruin her mood. She was tired and frustrated and couldn't comprehend how her partner couldn't see she affection Pyrrha held for him. She was lonely but craved more than just a friendship with her oblivious blonde. Perhaps she was just forever doomed to long for someone who would see her as an equal, someone who would love her in return.

She took note of the lingering stares of her peers, concluding that they thought they were together. Someone even catcalled, but Jaune didn't seem to notice and so she ignored them too. As she rested her head on his shoulder, she contemplated him, contemplated herself, contemplated them. She was the extraordinary Pyrrha Nikos, and she could have anything she wanted. But the one thing she wanted didn't want her. But for this once, just this once, she was okay with letting them think he was hers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Happenstance**

Normally, Pyrrha woke him up by giving his shoulder a firm shake or by yanking his covers off so that he was exposed to the cold air. This morning, though, she woke him up by sneezing and coughing more than he'd ever heard from a person before. He followed the trail of used tissues to the bathroom and found her huddled on the floor, wrapped tightly in a blanket.

"Jaune," she blinked up at him wearily, trying to smile but dissolving into a fit of coughs instead. "I hope I didn't wake you or the others."

He ignored her words and asked, "Can you walk?"

"I'm afraid my legs are as asleep as I wish to be."

Jaune approached her and, despite her protests, scooped the sickly warrior into his arms and carried her back to her bed. Nora gasped and buzzed around her friend, a million questions and concerns spewing from her rapidly moving lips. Ren filled a glass of water and placed it on the bedside table, offering his condolences before ushering himself and a reluctant Nora out.

"You should go to your classes as well, Jaune," Pyrrha said. "I don't want you to get behind."

"You're my teammate and my partner," he told her, stubborn in his opinion. "You matter more, so I'm staying right where I am."

Giving the blonde a small, appreciative smile, she commented, "It's a shame aura doesn't heal sickness and not only physical injuries."

"Yeah," Jaune agreed as he gently touched his hand to her forehead. "You've got a high fever. I'm going to go to the medical wing and get you some medicine, okay? Don't move."

"I won't."

* * *

><p>It killed him when he came back to find her back on the floor in the bathroom, but this time she was bent over the toilet, her usually strong body trembling as she heaved. He knelt beside her, gathering her hair and holding it away from her face. Rubbing her back, he watched her body convulse and wished so badly that he could switch places with her, to take away her suffering. Sickness was an evil he couldn't even attempt to protect her from, but at least he could take care of her.<p>

Pyrrha collapsed against him after her stomach had emptied itself completely. Jaune pulled her blanket back up around her shoulders and picked her up once more, flushing the toilet with his foot. She latched onto him like a helpless infant, and while it warmed him to know she trusted him with her wellbeing, it was also disconcerting. She was not as invincible as they said; she was human, with weaknesses and susceptibility just like him.

He tried to lay her on the bed and give her space, but her grip tightened. Her voice was weak and exhausted, quietly asking, "Please...stay. You're so warm..."

How could he deny her? Cradling her in his lap with her head tucked under his head, he held her close and fed her the medicine. It put her to sleep almost immediately, and he was left to his thoughts, faced with the question of just how far his feelings for her went.

A short while later, just as he was losing feeling in his limbs, Pyrrha began to talk in her sleep. Most of it was indiscernible, but Jaune continued to listen intently until finally, she breathed out, "Love...you..."

His heart jumped. As a teen who lived his most of his daily life believing almost everyone hated him, her words fulfilled many daydreams. But doubts trickled in, dashing his hopes, and his mind began to wonder if she was saying I love you in her dream to another man. Maybe that blue haired guy Neptune, or even Ren. Maybe it wasn't a guy at all and Pyrrha was head over heels for a girl.

"Jaune..." He barely heard it, denied even hearing it, but when she repeated his name again, a hopeful smile erupted across his face. She was dreaming about him.

He lowered them both onto the bed and grinned when she still managed to be half on top of him. He wasn't going to complain. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes as he pressed a kiss to to the top of her head. "I love you too Pyrrha."

He didn't see the smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Harmony**

A pounding headache and the inability to breathe through his nose shook him out of his slumber. Pyrrha sat by his side, gazing down on him as she hummed to herself. He chuckled silently when he realized she was wearing his sweatshirt again, but the most prominent fact he noticed was that she was no longer sick.

He was.

"Hello, Sleepyhead," she smiled warmly. Covering his hand with hers, she squeezed his fingers gently. "Thank you for taking care of me, and I'm sorry for getting you sick as well."

Jaune expected for her to take her hand away, but it lingered there and, as always, he wasn't going to complain. "Don't be sorry Pyrrha. I wanted to."

"Either way, it's my turn to take care of you now. Unfortunately, the medicine you retrieved for me this morning was the last of Beacon's supply. You'll have to tough it out for a day or two until a new shipment comes in."

Jaune didn't know how it happened, but an hour later Pyrrha was laying on top of him, her head on his heart and her arms wrapped around his waist. He remembered getting cold, and then she was there. She smelled intoxicating, a fusion of cinnamon and strawberries. He felt incredibly lucky to have her as his mentor, his friend, his partner for their time at Beacon. However, the irritating voice in the back of his mind reminded him that it'd be nice if they could be partners for much longer than just four short years.

A battle surged inside him, the conflicting sides fighting so intensely to the point he eventually blurted, "You were talking in your sleep."

She seemed to go very still. "Was I?"

"You were...saying things."

"Could you explain?"

His breathing became ragged and he gulped once, twice, three times before he found himself able to answer. "You said my name...and that you love me."

Agonizingly slow, she turned her head. Her crimson hair spilled over his chest, loose from its usual ponytail and headpiece. A lovely, exotic creature. "Jaune, I have a confession to make."

She didn't love him. She either loved someone else or he had heard her wrong and he had just made a fool of himself and it was going to ruin their friendship and now she was going to tell him-

"I wasn't asleep."

The panicked voice quieted at once, but quickly started up again. "A-are you playing a joke on me? Did Yang put you up to it?"

Her viridescent eyes turned offended and hurt, and she began pulling away from him. "What? No. No Jaune, I'd never do that to you," she sighed, glancing out of the window forlornly. "I've grown tired of hiding my feelings, and I believe that withholding them is the most detrimental decision I could make, and that its benefits outweigh the negative effects. Though I chose a coward's way of telling you, and for that I'm sorry." She met his searching eyes, a small hint of hope in hers.

"I told you not to be sorry," he croaked. "Didn't you hear what I said after that?"

Shallowly nodding, she replied quietly, "I did."

"I meant it."

Tears pooled and threatened to fall. "I meant it too."

He gently tugged her back to him, settling her in his lap, their foreheads touching. "Don't cry, Pyr, you're making me cry too."

"I'm sorry!"

Jaune chuckled, his affection for the woman swelling with every second that passed in her presence. This, this felt more right than anything he'd ever done. To spend an eternity in this moment would be something to sacrifice everything for. He took it all in...her warmth, the emotion in her eyes, the shivers that erupted as she began to play with the hairs on the back of his neck. How this stunning, brilliant woman could ever return his feelings was beyond him. But Pyrrha always got what she wanted, and if her plan was to have him...well, it was a plan he could get behind. And he wasn't going to hold back anymore.

"Pyrrha, I love you."

"I love you too Jaune."

The feel and taste of her lips against his was easily the most wonderful and amazing feeling, tantalizing and enchanting. He kissed her again and again, not quite caring if he caused her to be sick again. He was looking forward to the next two days of being sick to explore this new and incredible side of them, and he planned to explore it throughly. He felt lighter and happier than he had in a long time.

Finally, he was hers, and she was his.


End file.
